First F1 race in Tuscany; Russian GP could be 1st with fans

The first Tuscan Grand Prix in Mugello might be held on Sept. 13, and the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi two weeks later might be the primary Formula One race this season with followers.

The F1 season began final weekend in Austria with no followers on the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg due to the coronavirus pandemic. But Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko mentioned he hopes spectators can attend can attend the race in Sochi later this yr.

“Russia is ready to receive the Formula 1 teams and spectators. The government will provide all the assistance required during the preparation and delivery of the competition,” Chernyshenko mentioned Friday. “It will be an important event for Russian sport.”

It was not instantly clear what number of followers Russian authorities hope to permit contained in the 55,000-capacity Sochi Autodrom.

“This will be an incredible festival for the widest audience possible,” mentioned Alexey Titov, the CEO of state-backed race promoter Rosgonski. “We are confident that the difficulties of this year will not become a special obstacle for motorsport fans. We are meticulously preparing to receive spectators safely and looking forward to seeing everyone.”

Both races have been added to the calendar by F1 organizers on Friday, taking the variety of scheduled races up to now this season to 10 — all of them in Europe.

F1 nonetheless hopes to have 15-18 races and to complete the season in December with races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

“We had great start to our season in Austria last weekend and we are increasingly confident in our plans to race throughout the remainder of 2020,” F1 chairman Chase Carey mentioned. “We are equally excited to see Formula 1 race for the first time at Mugello, an occasion that will mark Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix.”

Mugello is about 32 kilometers (20 miles) from Florence. It has by no means staged an F1 race however has hosted F2 and MotoGP races, in addition to beforehand being a Ferrari test monitor.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel did a test drive there final month.